Winners!

Many thanks to Sphere for this generous giveaway

Congratulations to the winners........

NATHALIE GREEN

JENNIFER HANSEN

THERESA BAKER

KAT DUNCAN

CLARE BLUETT

DizzyC

Winners!

Thank you to Dee DeTarsio for this generous giveaway of 3 e-copies of her novel

Winners have been notified.

Congratulations!  The winners are......

Katrina     

Susan       

Sheena    

W.I.P. Wednesday - 25th Jan

Welcome to my new feature

W.I.P. Wednesday

I follow many authors and new writers via facebook, twitter and blogs. 

Often I see questions I feel sure are for research for their lastest WIP, or what their word count for that day is,  or the fact that twitter/facebook is keeping them from working and wonder.....

What are they working on now?  

When will we see the next book?

Now we can find out with W.I.P. Wednesday

Margaret James joins me today

Thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your blog today, Carol. I’m very happy to be here.

Right now, I’m busy revising my novel The Penny Bangle, which first appeared in hardback in 2007, but is going to be issued in paperback by Choc Lit in May. It’s the final story in my Dorset trilogy which started life as The Silver Locket and continued with The Golden Chain. The paperback versions of these stories are fairly radical rewrites of the hardbacks, which were more family-oriented and didn’t have as much romantic content as Choc Lit readers like. The paperback versions are substantially longer than the hardbacks – about 20,000 words longer, in fact.

I am really enjoying revisiting these stories, but I do find myself getting a bit confused about what I have added and what I have taken away. So it’s not a job to be doing late at night.

I’ve been very encouraged to see that lots of new readers have enjoyed the first two volumes in this trilogy - readers who prefer paperbacks to hardbacks, readers who prefer to read on their Kindles, and readers who find it difficult to get to public libraries where most hardbacks are to be found these days. It’s lovely to meet you all!

So what will be new about the paperback version of The Penny Bangle? That’s easy – a lot more romance, and more hero and heroine interaction. But I’ve kept in most of the family element because how families work is a subject of abiding fascination for me.

Some readers have found The Golden Chain a little bit staid after all the wartime excitement of The Silver Locket. So I’m hoping these readers will enjoy The Penny Bangle, which is set during WW2, so there is lots of adventure and danger in it. The bombs will be falling again…

Review - French Lessons - Ellen Sussman

French Lessons - Ellen Sussman 


Kindle edition (also available in paperback)


Publisher: Corsair (1 Oct 2011)
Kindle ASIN: B005KRUI6E


My first read on my Kindle


Set is modern day Paris, this novel is broken down into three separate stories involving three language tutors.


This novel was described as a romantic and emotionally charged novel set in Paris.  I have to say I was somewhat disappointed as I did not find this a romantic read and the description is mis-leading . I expected romantic Paris and for me it was more a contemporary look at affairs and deceipt in relationships, which in my view are rarely romantic. 
This did spoil my enjoyment to a certain degree. 


It took me a while to settle into the novel after the initial realisation that this was a different Paris than I expected.  The stories were well written and the characters were all very different and complicated souls.


I would like to read more from this author


3 out of 5  - It was ok 

Review - At Sea by Laurie Graham

• Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc (15 Sep 2011)
• ISBN-13: 978-0857381354
• Kindle  ASIN: B004EYT88I

Bernard Finch is a lecturer working on a cruise liner.  He deems his audience to be a nuisance and to be avoided at all costs once the tour and talk is over and the liner has left port.  One particular passenger Frankie Gleeson has unnerved Bernard so much that he takes to his bed!

The star of the novel is Bernard's wife of 20 years, Enid.  When the story begins we see Enid as the dutiful wife following her husband on his tours and supporting him in every possible way.  They have been married for 20 years and know everything there is to know about each other.  Or do they?

Frankie Gleeson is like a dog with a chew and will not give up on his belief that he knows Bernard from childhood.  

As the days go by on the cruise, Enid begins to wonder if she really does know Bernard as well as she believes she does.  She makes discoveries about her husband , activities to be enjoyed on board the liner and the unfamiliar world of the internet.

I loved the way Laurie Graham gave us just enough to know that Enid and Bernard had missing pieces to their history without giving everything away. I felt Enid's frustration about the situation. She left me wondering whether Enid still had unanswered questions about Bernard at the end of the novel.  I found the way Enid handled Bernard at the end  of the novel satisfying and funny.

5 out of 5 for me!

Thank you to Quercus for a review copy

Guest Author - Jane Urquhart

Jane Urquhart

Hardcover: 256 pagesPublisher: MacLehose Press (5 Jan 2012)ISBN-13: 978-0857051240

Today, I have the honour and pleasure of featuring Guest Author, Jane Urquhart

I asked Jane to talk to us about how she came to write her latest novel, Sanctuary Line

I followed many different routes to “Sanctuary Line.” Although Liz, the protagonist, would have been a decade younger than me when she was summering on the shores of Lake Erie, I nevertheless fully recalled my own summers on the shores of a similar great lake and brought into the book the now vanished agricultural world that surrounded that distant time. Added to this was a desire to investigate the whole notion of migration, especially as it applies to the fragile monarch butterflies Liz works with, but also, and significantly, as it is experienced by seasonal migrant workers --- such as the Mexican farm labourers in my book --- and by North American families, almost all of whom know their origins to be elsewhere.

Also, the knowledge that, in recent years in the Middle East, North American women have been in active combat, intrigued me. Liz’s cousin Mandy, an Officer and military strategist was the result of my looking more carefully at that. I am fortunate in that I have received an Honorary Doctorate from, and have presented lectures at Canada’s Royal Military College and have met, therefore, some of the brilliant young officers who have gone into combat, and I was amazed and moved by their interest in literature. Mandy’s love of poetry was no doubt inspired by my visits to the College.

 Finally, I have been puzzled for some time about the effect of the telling of tales and the creation of family mythologies on the goals and expectations of the members of a specific family, particularly when those mythologies are passed on and in some cases  created by a charismatic and powerful individual .The Irish sections of the book were created to examine this tale-telling.

But, perhaps, the real driving force behind the writing of Sanctuary Line was my own awareness of the permanence of change; how the world we think we know in childhood alters and then disappears before our eyes as we mature, partly because of physical change, and partly because we begin to understand that that world was never really as solid and comforting as we thought it was.

I would like to thank Jane for taking time from her busy schedule to talk to us about her writing


DizzyC

Mink Elliott plus UK Giveaway

This is a 2nd post from Mink Elliot, who is celebrating the publication of Just Another Manic Mum Day, today.   A Q&A can be seen in Monday 16th's post.

• 
  
• Publisher: Sphere (19 Jan 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0751546156

On Workplaces and Inspiration

I’m writing this on theiPad that’s perched on my lap as I sit on the jumbo cord couch in the front room of our small rented flat in Sydney. Not that this is how or where I usually write – that would be at my desk on my computer in my daughter’s bedroom. But it’s school holidays here now, and said daughter has commandeered my computer for her daily Happy Hour (watching Justin Bieber videos on YouTube), so granting her wish for ‘a bit of privacy, please Mum!’ (she’sonly five and a half,not fifteen!), I’ve been banished to the front room.

Which is OK, really. Because Location, Location, Location will be on in a minute. And as long as my 22-month-old son sleeps soundly for an hour or so in his room (is that a pig flying past our window?!) and my little girl is occupied, now is my primewriting time.

It’s not ideal, obviously – I mean, who wouldn’t love to be sat at an old banker’s desk in an attic study, staring out the window at rolling, verdant hills, waiting patiently – all day if necessary – for their muse to visit? Who wouldn’t love to be spending hours, days, weeks mulling things over, reading constantly in their library and going for extended strolls in the country, nutting out literary problems and meeting colourful characters along the way? Who wouldn’t give just about anything to have the luxury of doing what they love all day every day without interruption or having to worry about pesky little nuisances like food or bills or rent. Or kids.

Unfortunately, though, that isn’t real life. Or at least it isn’t mine. My reality consists of:

a)      Stressing out and shouting at the kids if my spit-spot schedule is thrown out –because if we’re still at the playground by 11am, we won’t make it home in time for him to eat his lunch, have his bottle and fall fast asleep and, as a result, I won’t get any work done that day (because Lord knows that working at night is out - once the kids are in bed of an evening, it’s only a matter of minutes before I’m off to Noddington, too, eyes glued shut, mouth agape on the couch in front of Midsomer Murders).

b)      Trying to squeeze some thinking space into a head crammed full of playdates to arrange and meals to plan and prepare (I always imagine healthy, vibrant children brimming over with Omega 3 thanks to organic salmon and all manner of veg - but actually endup with kids high on sugar and Spaghetti Hoops and probably coming down with scurvy).

c)      Talking and ‘reading’ to my wriggly son who appears to have the attention span of a kidney beanby way of encouraging him to speak as opposed to Neanderthal-style pointing and grunting. I won’t be drawn, won’t say anything more about that at this point. Except forlike father, like son. Uh-oh. Did I just think that – or actually write it? Oops.

d)     Um, loads of other stuff that’s just too small - but infuriatingly time-consuming - to mention. Which is handy, because I’ve forgotten what exactly that stuff is, to tell the truth.

I’m not complaining, though. No, really. Those kids are the best things that have ever happened to me. And even though they would try the patience of a saint (let alone mere mortal me), it’s the emotions they spark in me-  big and small, nice and narky- that, when I think about it, actually inspire me to write. It’s almost as though I need to, for the sake of my own sanity, to try to make sense of all the madness.

So when I’m washing up a seemingly endless pile of baby bottles,  muttering to myself about how I can never get anything done and this place is a tip and I can’t seem to remember anything these days, including that I’m on a diet and I’m getting so fat eating their leftovers and I never even get time to exercise properly andno one told me that this constant selflessness would be so completely and utterly knackering and TURN THAT BLOODY BIEBER DOWN! YOU’LL WAKE THE BABY!

And lo, another day’s writing comes to an end, marked, as per usual, by a bellowing toddler rattling the bars of his cot, a crying, door-slamming five year-old Belieberturning teenager any minuteand a frustrated, guilt-ridden mum who finds herself wondering a lot lately whether guzzling a restorative glass of wine (or three) so early in the day really is such a bad thing.

But hey! At least it gives me something to write about...!

The lovely people at Sphere are offering 5 copies of Just another Manic Mum Day to UK readers.

Please fill in the form to be entered in the UK only giveaway.

Please see giveaway policy.

Ends 26th January 2012

Guest Author - Beth Hoffman

Today I am honoured and delighted to feature Beth Hoffman - Author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.


Regulars to my blog will know that I adored this novel. So much so that it was the first review I posted on Amazon.  It was also my first recommendation on this blog.  In those early days of reviewing and blogging I was not in the habit of contacting authors, but I did contact Beth to see when the UK readers were going to get the chance to meet CeeCee.

That time has come

• Publisher: Abacus (19 Jan 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0349000183

Carol, thank you so much for inviting me to your blog today, I’m delighted to be here! Having my novel launch in the UK (one of my absolute favorite countries) is a thrill and a dream come true. My only regret is that I don’t get to meet all the terrific UK gals in person!

Please tell us a little about Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. 

CeeCee is a 12-year-old girl who lives in a home where shocking and sometimes funny events are daily occurrences. CeeCee’s mother, Camille, is lost in a psychotic fantasy world, and her father is unable to cope, so it falls to CeeCee to take on the exhausting role of caregiver for her mother.

When Camille’s psychosis spins out of control and tragedy strikes, CeeCee wonders what will become of her life. The answer arrives when a vintage Packard roars into the driveway. The driver is Tootie Caldwell, a great-aunt from Savannah, who CeeCee’s never even heard of. Tootie volunteers to take CeeCee back to Georgia, and CeeCee’s father eagerly agrees. And as unthinkable as the relinquishment of his daughter seems, it just might prove to be the greatest gift he could give her. With only a few meager possessions, CeeCee climbs into her aunt’s car and they head South for Savannah.

That’s when CeeCee’s life goes from shades of gray to Technicolor. The world Aunt Tootie has created in Savannah leaves CeeCee wonderstruck, as does Tootie’s collection of eccentric friends. CeeCee’s summer is filled with adventure, and her view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined. Surprising lessons are learned from the fascinating and diverse women that surround her, and each one helps CeeCee take her first timid steps toward healing so she can become a normal little girl.

Where did the inspiration for this novel come from?

I’m fascinated by mother/daughter relationships, especially those that are peculiar or strained. The intricate frailties and strengths of my own gender have always been a source of great interest to me—we women love and laugh and hurt and heal and forgive in remarkable ways. Plus, I’m enamored with the culture, architecture, and history of the American South. I wanted these elements to be the foundation of my story.

Though I was too young to know it at the time, the seed for my novel was planted when I was nine years old. I had taken a train from Ohio to visit my Great Aunt Mildred Caldwell who lived in a lovely old Greek revival home in Danville, Kentucky. From the moment of my arrival, it was culture shock of the best kind. There I was, a shy little farm girl who had stepped into a world of such beauty and refinement that I was awestruck. The genteel manners, the elaborate meal preparations, and the lively conversations that I witnessed during my stay in Kentucky made quite an impression on me. By the time my visit had come to an end, I promised myself that when I grew up I’d move to the South, and though it took a while, I finally made it.

Tell us how you came to be a successful writer

When I was a little girl I loved to create stories and characters. I also loved to make them houses out of shoeboxes that I’d decorate with pictures of furniture I cut from catalogs. By the time I was 5-years-old, I was drawing and painting and eventually chose to study art which segued into interior design. I became co-owner and president of an interior design studio, and though I loved my work, the dream of writing was with me every day. Then, when I nearly died from septicemia, I began to see things differently and my priorities shifted—dramatically.

After several years of contemplating how I wanted to spend the rest of my life, I made the decision to leave my business and go after my dream of writing a novel. It was the gutsiest thing I’ve ever done. There’s no formula to guarantee success, but I do believe hard work, dedication to the craft, and tremendous patience in combination with richly drawn characters played a role in my novel’s success. I also have a fabulous literary agent and publisher!

What are you working on now?

I’m just now completing my new novel that’s titled LOOKING FOR ME. I adore the story and can’t wait for publication day, which will be in early 2013.  It’s an entirely different story from my previous novel, and a little teaser of the book is here: http://bethhoffman.net/a-teaser-from-my-new-novel-looking-for-me

What book is on your bedside table?

Right now I’m not reading because I’m totally immersed in finishing my novel. But I have a TBR list that’s out of control and I’m eager to dig in.

Thank you, Beth for taking time out from your busy schedule to answer my questions.

About the author: Beth lives in a quaint historical town in Kentucky with her husband and several furry, four-legged children. She loves animals, feeding the birds, reading, gardening, and laughing with girlfriends.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a New York Times bestseller; foreign rights have sold to the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Indonesia and Korea. The book is also available through Bookspan in the Philippines and Canada

Visit Beth’s website at www.BethHoffman.net

You can also find her on Twitter (@wordrunner) and Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saving-Cee-Cee-Honeycutt/257344499729

W.I.P. Wednesday

Welcome to my new feature

W.I.P. Wednesday

I follow many authors and new writers via facebook, twitter and blogs. 

Often I see questions I feel sure are for research for their lastest WIP, or what their word count for that day is,  or the fact that twitter/facebook is keeping them from working and wonder.....

What are they working on now?  

When will we see the next book?

Now we can find out with W.I.P. Wednesday

Sue Moorcroft is my first guest author for W.I.P. Wednesday

MY WIP, Dream a Little Dream, is due in at the end of January. And, although this final loving polish is my favourite part of the novel-writing process, I’m going to need every second I have left. Dream a Little Dream is a book set in the village of Middledip, like Starting Over and All That Mullarkey. Liza, having had a rubbish time in the past year, is bloody-mindedly trying to reinvent herself, so one of the things I’m doing in this final polish is ensuring she truly battles. I think you have to be very careful how you treat your damsel in distress, in today's market, because it’s all too easy to let her turn into an irritating doormat. Far from being a doormat, Liza is a sassy, spirited, witty little blonde, who has identified a dream, and is in hot pursuit.

Unfortunately, Liza’s dream conflicts with the dream of Dominic Christy. As DC has a rare sleep disorder, dreams have quite a lot of meaning in his life. I was lucky enough to make contact with a real life guy (co-incidentally, also called Dominic) with the same condition. The real Dominic has been a mega research source, and lets me plague him almost daily with emailed questions. The book would truly not have been written without him. Then there’s Joan, my reflexology source (for Liza) and Dave, my air traffic controller source (also for Dominic). And a couple of beta readers, Mark and Roger, who are feeding back to me on the whole book, what works and what doesn’t or where they feel I’ve left something out. As you can see, I make unashamed use of my friends for feedback and research. Finally, one of my primary aims at this stage is to make sure there’s sizzle and tension where I want sizzle and tension. Always pleasant things to have in one’s mind!

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes for Choc Lit. 
Combining that success with her experience as a creative writing tutor, she’s written a ‘how to’ book,
 Love Writing – How to Make Money From Writing Romantic and Erotic Fiction (Accent Press). 
Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles and courses and is the head judge for Writers’ Forum. Her latest book, Love & Freedom, won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 at the Festival of Romance. She's a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner.

Check out her website www.suemoorcroft.com and her blog at http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/ for news and writing tips. You’re welcome to befriend Sue on Facebook or Follow Sue on Twitter


I am looking forward to Sue's next novel!  






DizzyC

Guest Author - Dee DeTarsio

Warning - This article contains a little strong language 

Is Your Kindle Making You Fat?

by Dee DeTarsio

I was going to go with an eOrgasms article to spice up this dreary winter day, but I sat in front of my computer for such an embarrassing length of time, nothing came. Har har. (I wish I could write erotica...I hear it pays well.)

I apologize--this is strangely personal for someone you’ve never met. Let me digress. I grew up in Ennui, Ohio. (Which is a joke.) (Because it gives far too much credit to my hometown.) Back then, I would have traded clear skin for being fat in a heartbeat. Well now, the joke’s on me--I can eat exponentially greater quantities of potato chips when I read on my kindle, than while fumbling with a paperback book. That’s not to say I haven’t fumbled a bit with my Kindle--we’ve been to third base, (thanks to an overambitious, delicious, non-nutritious reading feast that included a glass of wine). Salty fingers are no friend to the digital domain, either, (orange-colored crumbs are even worse) but have no fear, a toothpick combined with a napkin serves as a tiny magic wand, erasing the evidence.

Thanks to a steady diet of so many new books to explore, (mine included!) (Aha! The point of this article, at long last) I do try to limit my grazing while gazing...feeding while reading...glutton on the button...

“Oh, dear God, please let this woman write better novels than blog posts,” you may be thinking. When I do guest posts, I fear no one really cares about what an author has to say; whether or not I donate spare change to street musicians or have pet names for family members. My husband informed me he wants to be known as “Director,” (he does direct TV shows) but you’ll be happy to know I shined him off by directing him to “Direct this,” while grabbing my own *rse. As for my kids, I could full out ID them by their cell phone-slash-social security numbers for all the impression I make on them--they never notice anything I do.

I do have a tendency to stalk my favorite authors...one of them appeared on this very site: The fabulous Carol K. Carr, who I am now pleased to call my BFF. She refers to me as “Pet.” Or maybe it was Pet Peeve. Whatever. By the way, someone really needs to get Kate Middleton a copy of India Black and the Widow of Windsor--I would love to hear her take on her husband’s great-great-great-great Grandma.

Back to me. Focus. I like to write because I say really stupid things. I do embarrassing things. I am a sh*t-talker. Guilty of Schadenfreude. I cheat in yoga. My bra and underwear don’t match. To add insult to injury, my kindle is making me fat. Misery loves company, as they say--won’t you join me?

Three brave souls are now eligible to win an Amazon egift of Ros by Dee DeTarsio. Lucky you--better hurry, they’re going fast! You don’t need a kindle to read, the whispernet app is free for your computer or smart phone. *

Dee DeTarsio is a TV writer living in southern California. She is the author of womenʼs fiction, The Scent of Jade (finalist in the San Diego Book Awards Association), The Kitchen Shrink, and just released, Ros...

*If you would like the chance to win a e-gift copy of Ros, please complete the following form.
International giveaway, subject to you being able to accept an Amazon e-gift copy via your Amazon account.


Ends 24th Jan 2012
Winners will be notified by email


Please see giveaway policy

Guest Author - Mink Elliott

Funny novelist Mink Elliott joins me today to tell us about her latest novel Just another Manic Mum Day which is published this coming Thursday

• 
  
• Publisher: Sphere (19 Jan 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0751546156
• 
  

Mink, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us and answer my questions.

Tell us a little about Just Another Manic Mum-Day

I’d love to! I’ve been talking about little else for the past few weeks, and I see no earthly reason to stop now! Just Another Manic Mum-Day is the sequel to The Pissed Off Parents Club (my first novel) and sees Roxy, Jack and three-year-old Joey move to sunny Sydney. But when Roxy falls pregnant again (over 40, over there and, quite frankly, over it), her world is turned upside down. How will she cope? And what about her fab new job? Will up-until-now only child and Olympic champion tantrum-thrower Joey adjust? And what about Jack? What exactly has he been up to every day since the family arrived in paradise? Roxy ponders these questions and more over cappuccinos and cupcakes with her new best friend Shoshanna, until they are unceremoniously booted out of their favourite cafe. Seems mums with babies and kids just aren’t welcome anywhere in Bondi. So the two mum-preneurs put their heads together and come up with the ideal cafe for mums, dads, kids and carers everywhere – a coffee shop that has a crèche and counsellors and sells Freixenet alongside the friandes. Another kind of Bondi rescue, Just Another Manic Mum-Day (that’s the name they come up with for the cafe) serves as a sanctuary for stressed-out mums. But can Roxy and Shoshanna make their own family lives as happy as they make their customers? You’ll just have to read the book to find out! 

When and how did you decide writing was what you wanted to do?

When I got sacked from the bakery and the post office within weeks of each other.Eventually, I landed a job at the brilliant Australian men’s magazine The Picture as the only girl writer there – and even though I was terrified of walking into the office every day, let alone all the genius writers there, I managed to leave before they axed me and went to work in London. From then on, even though I constantly feared I was never any good, I was determined to learn at the feet of the greats, so I tried my best at such legendary publications as More!, Just Seventeen, Bliss, Sky, Minx, Dare! and FHM until I had my first baby. Then we moved out of London and I wrote The Pissed Off Parents Club. When my agent told me Sphere wanted to publish it, I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. Because writing for a living is a dream come true. And now I’m hooked on losing myself in my characters’ worlds, I can’t give it up – it’s too much fun!

How do you manage to write with two young children? Is routine important?

Important? It’s critical. I just wish we had one! I always surprise myself by being a bit of a drill sergeant about our schedule in my head, particularly in the school holidays – but in reality, I never fail to be so disorganised, that it all goes horribly wrong and we’ll still be at the playground at lunchtime, which means my toddler will miss his window of opportunity for sleep which, in turn, means another day will go by without me getting any words down. So my answer to your first question is sometimes I just don’t. If it happens, great – but if it doesn’t, you just have to try to be a half-way decent mum, suck it down, let it go and try to look overjoyed about yet another game of hide and seek. Which is really hard to do when you’re bursting with ideas and plot twists and turns and you can’t even find a pen and an un-scribbled-on piece of paper, let alone quiet, focused time in front of the computer. I mean, I can’t even manage to go to the loo by myself these days! It wouldn’t be so bad if I could work at night when both kids were asleep, but then my evening routine of collapsing on the couch, catching half an episode of Corrie and being comatose by 8:30 every night would fly right out the window! And we all know how crucial it is to stick to a routine...When my toddler does sleep and my daughter is at school, though, it’s amazing how disciplined I can be. And quite astonishing how frequently I manage to resist the temptations of Facebook/daytime telly/the entire contents of the fridge and just sit there writing. Not always (the council wants to attach a ‘wide load’ sign to my bum - something about health and safety), but enough!

Mink Elliott will be back again on Thursday, publication day, with a UK Giveaway!

It's Monday...16th Jan

Last week


I have books finished that are awaiting reviews

Manhattan - Ronni Cooper  (a 3 for me)
Netherwood - Jane Sanderson  (5 star, can't wait for sequel)
At Sea - Laurie Graham (5 star)


In My Postbox


Russian Winter - Daphne Kaloty




What I am reading now


Rivals in The Tudor Court -Darcey Bonnette


Postcards from the Heart - Ella Griffin




Coming up this week here at DizzyC's LBB


Guest authors

Mink Elliot  (with UK Giveaway)


Dee DeTariso (with giveaway)


Beth Hoffman


Jane Urquhart


Come back on Wednesday for an exciting new feature on the blog.  I am looking forward to it! :)




What does your reading week look like?


DizzyC

Ooops! I have joined another challenge

I have refrained from joining challenges in the past as I would hate to join and not make my targets.


I just had to join this one, hosted by Historical Tapestry blog, as a fan of historical fiction. The levels seem achievable.








During the 12 months you can choose oneof the different reading levels


Severe Bookaholism - 20 books
Undoubtedly Obsessed - 15 books
Struggling the Addiction - 10 books Would like to get to this level
Daring and Curious - 5 books  My sensible level 
Out of My Comfort Zone - 2 books

DizzyC

It's Monday 9th Jan

Hosted by Sheila at BookJourney

Last week

I am still struggling to get routine back into my life.  This week will be the first full week where everyone in the household is back to their usual routine. Hopefully I can then catch my tail :)

I have a few books to post reviews for these are

At Sea - Laurie Graham   5 star

Netherwood - Jane Sanderson  My first 5 Star read of 2012

Manhattan - Ronni Cooper (not yet rated)

In my postbox

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - Beth Hoffman  (review copy)

I read this book a while ago when a friend bought me a copy from Amazon, which was imported.  I have been raving about it ever since. I am delighted that this novel is hitting the UK shelves 19th Jan.  

New on the Kindle

Silk - Penny Jordan

Below Stairs - Margaret Powell

Breaking the Ice - Mandy Baggot

The Captive Queen - Alison Weir






Next up to read


Queen Hereafter - Susan Fraser King


Postcards from the Heart - Ella Griffin

Coming up here at DizzyCLBB

Guest authors,  Mink Elliott (with UK giveaway)  and   Beth Hoffman.

What does you reading week look like?

Manhattan by Ronni Cooper - Winners

Many thanks to Sphere for another generous giveaway

• Publisher: Sphere (22 Dec 2011)
• ISBN-13: 978-0751542769
• 
  

Congratulations to the 5 winners.......

Clare

Katrina

Margaret

Ian

Laura

Winners will be notified by email today

Many thanks

Check back for more giveaways very soon

DizzyC

Bookish news (including a freebie!)

The New Year is making me Dizzy!


I had the family home from 16th Dec until 3rd Jan and it has put my routine right out.
I am still spinning from it all and so ideas for posts are not coming easily :)


I have seen many book related news items recently, and I thought I would share......




Here in the UK, Richard and Judy and The TV Book Club (More 4) have announced their reads for this coming series.


Richard and Judy Book Club list of reads are


Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson
Yesterday's Sun by Amanda Brooke 
My Dear I Wanted To Tell You  by  Louisa Young
The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon 
 A Cold Season by Alison Littlewood 
 The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
 Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft 
 Me Before You by Jojo Moyes








The TV Book Club list of reads are


 Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson (both book clubs are reading this one)
 The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt 
 The Somnambulist  by Essie Fox
 Into The Darkest Corner  by Elizabeth Hayne
 Rules of Civility  by Amor Towles
 Girl, Reading by Katie Ward
 The Report by Jessica Francis Kane
 The Family Fang  by Kevin Wilson
 Half of The Human Race  by Anthony Quinn
 You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik.

Rules of Civility, The Paris Wife and Girl, Reading have caught my eye already :)

Have you read any of these titles or have any of these titles on your wishlist?

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In case you have been in outer space recently and didn't know, I am the proud owner of a new Kindle  :)

I am hoping to share, not only great paperbacks, but also Kindle books with you in the future.

Here is one that has come to my attention

At the moment , Mandy Baggot is running a competition to win a signed copy of her novel Knowing Me Knowing You. Just visit Mandy Baggot Blog to enter to win. This is an international competition so everyone is welcome to enter. 

Also, From Friday 6 January-Sunday 8 January to coincide with the start of the new season of Dancing on Ice, Mandy Baggot's  novel Breaking the Ice will be absolutely FREE to download on Kindle. Thank you, Mandy! :)

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Challenges 2012

I am only taking part in one Challenge this year as it will be my 1st official challenge.

Just for Fun Reading Challenge is just that!  Books we have on our TBR shelves that are not review books. 

There is still time to sign up for this one (before 31st Jan)

It already has lots of members and has it's own Goodreads Group.

Hosting this challenge is the lovely Lori 

Check out the details  here (scroll down to the 2012 challenge sign up)

A few more challenges I have come across are

Historical Tapestry - Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Reading Challenge Addict

DizzyC